Muddy nights
by Wolfgrowl
Summary: She longs for her deputy, but not the one she fights for. She wishes for the WindClan tom. Written for The Gone Angel's Unusual Pairing challenge.


Disclaimer: Warrior's isn't mine.

It was always night when she met him. Mudclaw. Her strong WindClan deputy. Squirrelflight had watched through the whole journey as he kept the Clan together under a dying leader. She'd only been an apprentice then, so when he'd noticed her staring she'd looked away. Until one night…

"_What do you keep staring at?"_

_Squirrelpaw jumped, having not realized that Mudclaw had crossed the mountain cave to speak to her._

"_Nothing." She insisted strongly, trying to stand firm. Stand firm under his firm gaze, as his eyes shone with a hint of amusement._

"_Oh, I thought you were staring at a real deputy." He replied haughtily, and Squirrelpaw scoffed._

"_Then why wouldn't I look at Gray- Mistyfoot." She felt a pang for the deputy and named his daughter instead._

_Mudclaw's muzzle curled. "Maybe because I'm a tom, Squirrelpaw. Don't think I haven't noticed your looks."_

_Squirrelpaw lashed her tail. "Maybe I'm trying to figure out how Crowfeather ended up the sour cat he did!"_

_Mudclaw laughed quietly. "He was born that way." The mottled brown tom flicked her with his tail. "If you change your mind, you know where I'll be."_

It was easier to hide it when they were traveling, when everyone was together, when there was no clear boundary between Clans. When she could get away from Brambleclaw, Crowfeather, and Tawnypelt she'd sneak over to the brown tom. Mudclaw was powerful and that he was interested in a she-cat like her meant something to her. Under the stars it was easier to sneak away, easier to meet, easier to conceal their secret.

Though when she received her warrior name she was briefly afraid he'd give them away with how loudly he cheered for her. Squirrelflight had left him at night to explore the territories, to help figure out where everyone would live. She hadn't know that the night she'd come back would be his last night as deputy. How Tallstar could replace him was beyond her, Mudclaw was strong and could assert WindClan as a power on the lakeshore. But it wasn't up to her, and Mudclaw had become a regular warrior like her.

So the Clans settled, but Squirrelflight was restless, except for the nights she could meet Mudclaw, no matter for how briefly. Just seeing him on patrol soothed her wandering spirit. For a night at least, before she longer for his strength, his courage and quiet determination, so much unlike her own. The things night brought to her.

But the nights when she could meet him became spread out, less often. Mudclaw claimed it was his way off attempting to prove to WindClan he was still loyal, so Squirrelflight, while not happy, would let him do it. But then when he snubbed her at the first Gathering, the way Brambleclaw had, she became truly hurt. The next night when he was her rock once more, promising that it was all just to show he supported Onewhisker her tension eased. He wasn't Brambleclaw, he wouldn't leave her, he wanted her.

But did he? The night of the battle she charged into battle, terrified of fighting him, knowing she had to for the sake of Onewhisker's friendship with ThunderClan. That night she saw the dark tabby beside him, the flash of blue eyes, the white chest. That she saw a lot and that night she saw too much. Brambleclaw's precious Hawkfrost had frozen her Mudclaw, stolen him from her the way he'd taken Brambleclaw. She understood that and it lent strength to her claws. If she could fight her way to him, maybe she could break whatever ideas Hawkfrost had put in Mudclaw's head. Surely he'd listen to her, he had every night before.

But this night wasn't every night before. This night Mudclaw was frozen, and this night he was lost to her. The time when she'd felt closest to him and this was the time she lost him. The irony of losing her strong warrior at night wasn't lost on her. Could Brambleclaw blame her for hating Hawkfrost? He'd cost her the nights with Mudclaw. He'd cost her everything.

Even on this night, as she lay curled up alone, having lost yet another brown furred deputy she missed Mudclaw. All her nights with Brambleclaw had never replaced her few nights with him, and not one night ever could. She could try though; try to win Brambleclaw back, to get him back to her side. Brambleclaw was the one she had saved from Hawkfrost and the one she could keep. She'd lost him too though, through her own fault this time. But even as she fought to get him back, fought to have Brambleclaw's love yet once more she wished she was fighting for a different deputy. She wished she could fight to stand side by side with Mudclaw, her gift in the night.

A.N.: Well, that was strange. But it was actually kind of fun to write with a crack pairing. HAH! * fist pump * Conquered.


End file.
